During the 16th century, the owners of Schwerin castle had forsaken the defensive capabilities of the original castle and concentrated instead on the more pleasing aspect of beautification

In 1160, the Abodrite Prince Nicolet, Lord of Schwerin Castle, was facing the advancing German feudal Lords under the leadership of Henry the Lion. Rather than surrendering the castle, Nicolet ordered the castle to be set alight, thus rendering it useless to Henry and his minions. After its capture, Henry immediately ordered Schwerin to be rebuilt. It later became the ducal seat of Schwerin and then that of the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.

The castle was left much as it was with very little in the way of modifications until 1477 when Duke Magnus II built the Big New House or” GroBes Neues Haus”. Construction finished in 1503 and it is the oldest preserved building in the city.

During the 16th century, the owners of Schwerin castle had forsaken the defensive capabilities of the original castle and concentrated instead on the more pleasing aspect of beautification. By the 17th Century it had been completely transformed into a palace.

Under the guidance of Georg Demmler, master builder to the royal household, Schwerin was altered yet again between 1843 and 1857. These final modifications were based on the French Chateau Chambord. After all the building work was completed, Grand Duke Fredrich Franz II and his family announced their arrival at Schwerin castle in the most pompous fashion, immediately preceded by the biggest festival the city had ever witnessed.

The castle was nearly destroyed in 1913 when a fire was discovered in the “Elisabethzimmer” – “Elisabeth’s room”. It quickly spread to other parts of the castle reaching the storeroom where all the hunting ammunition was kept. What pursued was a cacophony of small explosions and loud noises. After the fire was dosed, a third of the building was discovered to have been destroyed.

The collapse of the monarchy in 1918 saw Schwerin becoming part of the Mecklenburg Schwerin Free State. In 1921 the castle opened as a museum.

Tourist Information

Opening hours:

Apr 15 - Oct 14; 10 am-6pm (closed Mondays)

Oct 15 - Apr 14; 10 am-5pm (closed Mondays).

Entrance fees:

adults: € 4,00

reduced: € 2,50

family ticket: € 7,00

  

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